La Dolce Vita … oh, and MBCTFW13

I’m back! Back to the blog and back to Cape Town for good, finally after much talk and anticipation (on my part). In the first week I enjoyed the last few days of Ramedaan and Eid with my family followed by Cape Town Fashion Week. This was my outfit from the last day. My African-inspired skirt made from traditional shwe-shwe material was a great way for my mom and I to bond while she made it, and paid homage to how happy I am to be back home. I attended the last two days and I can’t say I was wildly impressed. Aside from the shows I saw ranging from below average RTW to average RTW, the organisation of the event was extremely disappointing and in all honesty I wished I had stayed home. While I love a good reason to wear my sequinned pants, I wasn’t this desperate for an occasion. I carried my camera with me everywhere and never took a single picture, because I was that uninspired. It just turned into a great catch up session with the usual fash pack and never-ending giggles with Aisha and Tegan as always. Saturday was better, and as usual, the one who really “brought” it was Tlale. From understanding proportion, fabric, and bringing forward a great RTW visual aesthetic together, he truly made it come to life with the drama of his show. I strongly appreciate how he always takes us out of the standard runway at the CTICC, and admire how he tends to eliminate the hierarchy of the front row. In this case, everyone was front row as we sat spread down the eery-but-sunny strip that is Cape Town’s infamous abandoned highway. Overall though, I missed dramatic couture. I missed cascading layers of rouged tulle, intricate beading and over-the-top architectural pieces dominating the runway – all the pieces we love but have no occasion to wear. Whatever happened to fashion for fashion’s sake? During some shows I saw people seated on the floor in their “OOTD” so as to get a better view/shot, and all I could think was firstly I’d never sit on the floor in this outfit and secondly, definitely not to watch/shoot this. I am no critic, and I don’t claim to know everything. I’m sure all of the designers dedicated much time into their work, and naturally there were quite a few “nice” pieces. However, Tlale seems to be the only person this year who remembered that it is after all a fashion show. If designers couldn’t invest more into their range, I wished they would invest in the theatricality and stage presence. Tlale could have sent black bags down that highway and I would have given him a standing ovation. In the words of Mr Billy Flynn, “Give ’em the old razzle dazzle… How can they see with sequins in their eyes?” Knowing myself though, I will be back again next year, wearing all my favourite things at once and praying to be wowed. Other than that, I miss hotel beds, I miss northern hemisphere heat, I miss everything that is Leonor Alves, I don’t miss aeroplanes and I’m now someone’s fiancé (note how I casually slipped that in there). Thank you Tegan for these images, you’re too amazing! xx

I’m so excited you’re back! And you looked so amazing, Aqeelah. I pretty much shouted, ‘Finally!’ once I saw you’d posted. I’ve been checking here over and over in hopes to read what you have to say. Congratulations on the engagement, by the way. x

A lover of leather, words and travel, Aqeelah uses Fashion Breed as her online canvas. She shares her inspiration, thoughts and creativity. The site has witnessed her growth since its founding early in 2010, and documents the way she has incorporated fashion in her many adventures.